1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains in general to a drapery support and traverse system and in particular to drapery apparatus for use with one or more pleated, zig-zag, "veed" or folded drapery panels. The present invention utilizes a unique elastically stretchable member in combination with other unique apparatus to obtain a drapery system which may be premanufactured and preassembled and yet perfectly fit an opening having a range of widths while maintaining equal spacing between the pleats, zig-zags or vees.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the art of drapery and vertical blind support systems numerous mechanisms have been developed for traversing the draperies or blinds to allow extension and retraction to form a closure across a window, doorway or to form a partition or room divider. Conventional drapery support systems typically include an elongated track for supporting a pair of master slides which are interconnected by an endless non-elastic cord and which are adapted to traverse in opposite directions to close the draperies over a window or doorway or, in the case of a single drapery panel, a single master slide is movable across the track. The draperies are formed in a plurality of folds, pleats, or "vees" which are suspended from carrier slides by separate hooks or the like.
In the prior art there are no products which may be purchased over the counter and automatically adjust to an exact width size of the opening the customer is seeking to cover. Pleated draperies are made to stock fixed sizes or custom made to a fixed exact size. The pleating of draperies is a complicated mathematical task of dividing even spaces and forming pinch pleats to create the fullness. Hiding the seams, so not to be shown, adds to the problem. Special allowances must be made for the center overlapping of the two halves of the drapery plus figuring the special allowances for the returns (the ends of the drapery that go from the track to the wall).
In the prior art there are no draperies that comprise a complete package for the consumer. The customer must buy the traverse rod separately. No traverse rod manufacturers make draperies. Thus, draperies and traverse rods have never been sold together in a single package. Installing rods and draperies is complicated for before you get started you must know the sizes without any mistakes, know where to stick the pin hooks, how far up to mount the rod, how to lock master carriers, mount pulley and remove extra non-elastic cords. This process is tough for a do-it-yourself customer. That is why decorators and installers are needed. These services sometimes cost double or triple the price and time of delivery is delayed.
The state of the art in drapery support systems is further characterized by relatively complicated mechanisms which are expensive to manufacture, are difficult to install, and typically must be custom fitted or "cut to measure." This latter item is most important. Typically, in the prior art, for any given width size of one opening, the main objective is to obtain even pleat spacing in conjunction with a desired degree of fullness when the draperies are fully drawn across the opening. This requires custom fitting. The same sized drapery cannot be used with a smaller sized opening because one or more of the pleats will remain gathered at the stationary end of the arrangement when the draperies are fully drawn. Then too, the same sized drapery cannot be used with a larger opening because it will be too narrow to fit the opening. Furthermore, in the prior art, no arrangement exists whereby after a slight drawing of the draperies, equal but variable pleat spacing exists from the partially drawn position to the fully drawn position.
Moreover, the fabrication of the draperies themselves require the formation of sewn pinch pleats which must be precisely measured and sewn and are difficult to hang properly from the support mechanism. The complex nature and the general design of prior art drapery and vertical blind traverse and closure mechanisms has been a drawback to the commercial success and convenience of such types of furnishings. Furthermore, the complexity of conventional drapery support systems has also required extensive measurement and custom fitting of the support system and the draperies supported thereby. However, in accordance with the present invention a mechanically uncomplicated and unique drapery and vertical blind support system has been provided which overcomes many longstanding problems in the art.